Halloween Costumes on A Budget

It’s October! And for those parents among us, that can only mean one thing…

Here at Scallywag Kids, our love for children’s bedroom furniture and kids’ beds comes from being parents, and being a parent means that we care about everything our children do. At this time of year, they’re crazy about Halloween. So whether your little scallywags are headed out trick or treating or off to a Halloween party, we’ve got some spookily helpful advice to offer!

Dress them up as Cartoon Characters!

One of the easiest ways to put together an amazing Halloween costume on a budget is to simply dress up in clothes you already have at home – no need to go out and buy or make one! Lots of cartoon characters wear the same outfit every day (think The Simpsons, or Scooby Doo). Why not try raiding the back of your cupboard or your attic for old clothes that look just like (or near enough) their favourite cartoon character. This one works especially well if you have more than one child, as dressing them up as different characters from the same TV show makes them easily identifiable.

Getting Crafty

Making costumes is a lot of fun – some would argue way more fun than buying one – but making costumes for several kids can more expensive and time consuming than necessary. A great solution to this is to make several costumes of the same design, and maybe even get the kids themselves involved and turn it into a fun arts and crafts afternoon? We don’t mean have three Supermen running, or flying, around but how about multiple minions from Despicable Me? You might have to be a few puppies short or rally up friends and family, but 101 Dalmatians is another brilliant way to get away with duplicating a Halloween costume and using the same materials and face paint etc for all your kids’ costumes. Hopefully employing this tactic should avoid costume envy between your kids, too – no arguments about who has the best costume is always a benefit at Halloween.

Bonus: this one also works great for kids who are a little older – check out the above picture of some university friends as the 101 Dalmations!

Buying Halloween Costumes

Of course, not everyone has enough time (or artistic talent) for creating home-made costumes. If you are not so good at putting together your own costumes but feel that paying £10-£20 per child for a poor-quality costume which will only be used for one night is ludicrous, then this next bit is for you. Again try digging around in the attic or dressing-up-box, if you’re lucky then last year’s costumes may well fit a younger sibling perfectly. Similarly, you may well have friends or neighbours with similar aged kids you could get together and do swapsies! Finally, for those among us with excellent foresight, it might be worth browsing through all the costumes on sale in November and buying one a whole year in advance!

Whether you create your own costume or decide to buy one, hopefully you will now save some money in the process. Or you could always go for an ‘opt out’ costume – such as a toilet-paper mummy, or try dressing your child in a plain white costume with the word ‘LIFE’ written on it and let them carry a bag of lemons to give out whenever someone asks them what they’re dressed as!

The only question left unanswered is what are you going to do with your savings? Maybe you could stock up on Halloween candy!